This is a place to let our children sing out through their perfect art. It is also a chance to let us all enjoy their creativity, stories and talent.
“Art is never wrong; it simply is.”

May 2015

May 26, 2015

We know that Keith Haring also created sculpture, a foundation for children with AIDS, has made us smile, think, cry with his deeply emotional, simple drawings and paintings.

Here is a bit about Keith Haring. Most of the images are from his site.

He has an AMAZING kids site with projects and lessons for ALL ages here.

Here are some shots of the murals we made in 7th Grade:

The students really were touched by thy symbolism and put a lot of thought into whether they wanted to recreate his well-known symbols, create their own or a combination. They were all discussing the message of what they were doing. I couldn't hope for any more from an art lesson.

Another form of folk art is tramp art. Tramp art is an art movement found throughout the world where small pieces of wood, primarily from discarded cigar boxes and shipping crates, are whittled into layers of geometric patterns having the outside edges of each layer notch carved. The artists used simple tools such as a pocketknife to carve the recycled wood. It was popular in the years between the 1870s to the 1940s after which the art form started to decline. It was made in prodigious numbers. The most common forms were the box and the frame. Although there were no rules or patterns to lend commonality in the artists’ work there were objects made in every conceivable shape and size including full sized furniture and objects of whimsy.

Trained as a sign, coach, and ornamental painter, Hicks painted over a hundred versions of his now-famous Peaceable Kingdom between 1820 and his death. His artistic endeavors provided modest support for his activities as a Quaker preacher in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The theme of this painting, drawn from chapter 11 of Isaiah, was undoubtedly attractive to Hicks and fellow Quakers not only for its appealing imagery but also for its message of peace: "The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid, and the calf and the young lion and fatling together; and a little child shall lead them."

From fabric, to wood, to canvas and now weavings. Many people associate basket making with Native American culture. Every household needed someone who could make a basket. They were handy and pratical. Styles and skills undoubtedly varied and you may not want a basket from Aunt Lil as much as one from Cousin Martha, but these skills were passed down just the same. The finest of these bring quite a price at auction.

In 1856, the state of Massachusetts commissioned lightships staffed with approximately 10 men to provide light to passing ships in the heavily trafficked waters around the dangerous shoals to the south of Nantucket. The lightships, acting as floating lighthouses, were positioned to warn of the dangers and to prevent disastrous shipwrecks. With little to do during the day, the crew turned to weaving rattan baskets to pass the time on board. The wooden bases of the baskets were prepared on shore while the weaving and assembly took place on the lightship. The crew found that the baskets had many utilitarian uses around the house and were becoming popular with visitors. While no longer made on lightships, they are still called Nantucket lightship baskets.

Learn about Nantucket Lightship Baskets here:

We could cover more about Grandma Moses, Joseph Picket, and Ammi Phillips' paintings, but you can do a great search for American Folk Art painters to see what you discover. Know that architecture can also include folk art. You may want to search in Chicago or other older cities to see what you may find tucked into the bricks in a building or doorway.

For our production, we are making paper quilts. Simple patterns with scrapbook paper, scissors and glue sticks. Nothing complicated, but paper selection will make all the difference. Next post will have examples from the classroom production.